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Lament of the Lamb: v. 1 (Lament of the Lamb)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Tokyopop Press Inc (2005-06-01)
ISBN: 1591828147
EAN: 9781591828143
Dewy Decimal #: 741.5
Paperback: 216 pages
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Customer Reviews
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Beautifully tragic
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-07-05
The first time I came across 'Lament of the Lamb,' was probably in an advertisment in a 'Battle Royale,' volume. I was instantly intregued by the artwork and the synopsis but it was a long time before I finally gave in to curiosity and purchased the first volume in the bookshop. After reading it I wondered what had taken me so long and collected the rest as quickly as I could. This beautifully poignant tale of two siblings struggling with the secret of a dark disease was absolutely enthralling. The colour artwork throughout the series was stunning and evocative and I found the unusual depiction of vampirism a refreshing break from the typical highly romanticized 'creatures of the night' theme, (enjoyable though that can be!) My only criticism would be with the ending. I found Kazuna's touching display of love for Chizuna both moving and beautiful and exactly right in keeping with the previous mood of the series. The decision to then end the series in the way they did, seems to me, to completely dismiss his actions and desire and I subsequently found the ending rather false and unsatisfying. However I would still highly recommend this series to anyone interested in a dark serious story-based drama, as oppose to an all out action fest which this certainly is not. Quite simply, I loved it.
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Early symptoms are promising...
Rating  (3)
Date: 2004-05-11
6 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
The basic surface concept behind 'Lament of the Lamb' is by no means new. From the idea of vampirism being a HIV-esque sexually transmitted disease, to the presentation of the mysterious and wraith like Chizuna (a character heavily influenced by 'Vampire Princess Miyu' in my opinion), the supernatural element to the story is text book. In other words, nothing mind blowingly original.
However, this story has one sailent redeeming element which increases the enjoyment factor dramatically. The relationships the main character, Kazuna, has with those around him are carefully sculpted and not in the least over dramatic or exagerated. While it may be fair to say that having him abandoned by his father at a young age is slightly cliched, the subject is handled cleverly and sensitively. Even more impressively, Kei Toume manages to convey Kazuna's isolation and resilience to accepting his new situation elegently, where as some would have let the character degenerate into whiney monolouges and over played this character atribute.
It is these features of the story which provide a reason for continuing with the series, due to the sense of forboding and intrigue established throughout. A genuinely suspenseful ending to the romantic sub plot of this book, coupled with a presumably deliberate lack of details about some characters, certainly warrants continuity in some form.
As for the art of the book, there are some positive and negative points also. The cover art is very well drawn and I particularly liked the choice of colours and inks as it suited the slightly dark and gritty tone of the whole story quite well. This fine standard extends itself to the character designs, which remain a strong point through out. However, by comparison backgrounds are sometimes sparse and lacking in detail, as if they had less time spent on them. Overall the art of the book is well suited and appropriate for the style of story.
In summary, despite the lack of any revolutionary elements in terms of horror, the story stands up very well. One may then ask why only three stars? The answer is this book really only lays the ground work for what could potentially be a very engaging story, it remains to be seen if the positive elements will be capitalised on. So if your looking for a beginning stages of a dark and angst ridden vampire teen story, I'd say you've just found your match.
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Retail Price: £6.99
Amazon.com's Price:£0.01
That's 100% Off!
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